Fixing Fred's Leaky Roof

We knew from jump that there was a water problem ... water getting into the van from somewhere.

It did not appear to be getting in around the windows. So I got up a little  higher. Figured I would go ahead and clean out the old caulk and do it up fresh with some good stuff before sanding the fiberglass top and repainting it.

On the drivers side I found where the top was loose. It appeared that some screws had rusted away as a result of water getting in past the molding and caulk.

I started to just reattach the cap on the drivers side and give things a good caulking.

The more I thought about it the more it made sense to pull the rubber trim piece and check all the screws. It was a good thing I did. No. It wouldn't be a good day if we were off in the boondocks and the roof blew off our house.

At some point in its 22 years of life someone had already replaced a few screws on the passenger side. The slotted screws are the replacements. The Phillips are the original. Some of the replacements had already begun to loosen. Most of the original self-tapping screws were either loose or falling out as I pulled the rubber trim piece out of the molding. Maybe I got the all ones that hit the ground and averted flat tires on something in the future.

I will try one of the replacement screws in holes where the originals are so loose they'll not tighten. Size things up so I know what I'm after when I go to the hardware store. I will probably go up a size on the screws just to make double sure they bite and hold good.

Once all the screws are replaced I'll go ahead and give things a good caulking. Then we'll check out the RV store for the rubber trim that fits inside the aluminum molding.

This is a project to get done before the next round of rain comes through.